Diving board



May 29, 1956 E BRANDT ETAL DIVING BOARD Filed July 22. 1953 INVENTORS rzdi 29-2165 Jieflz'dde ATTORNEY United States Patent DIVING BOARD Paul E. Brandt and Ernst J. De Ridder, Louisville, Ky., assignors to Reynolds Metals Company, Richmond, Va., a corporation of Delaware Application July 22, 1953, Serial No. 369,589 2 Claims. (Cl. 27266) This invention relates to improvements in diving boards, and more particularly, diving boards which are used in connection with aquatic sports.

Diving boards as generally used in the past have been made of wood planks of suitable length and cross section and generally tapered in order to obtain the most desirable degree of flexibility. Wooden diving boards have a relatively short period of life, particularly when subjected to constant usage. It is not unfrequent for wooden boards to break or seriously crack so as to be useless in less than six months under average use. Additionally, it is frequently desired to move boards about or to store diving boards inside in the winter months when used in an outdoor pool. Since wooden boards of suitable strength and resiliency for diving are quite heavy, considerable difiiculty is experienced in moving these boards about. Wooden boards are quite expensive considering the cost of wood suitable for such use and the cost of manufacturing the boards. The relatively frequent replacement cost adds considerably towards the maintenance of wooden boards. Metallic diving boards have been considered, but, as yet, metallic diving boards have not replaced wooden boards since the combination of suitable elasticity, simplicity and inexpensiveness have not been obtained to the desired degree.

Therefore, it is an object of my invention to provide a diving board which is made from a minimum number of metallic elements very simply and inexpensively.

Another object of my invention is to provide a metallic diving board which possesses suitable flexibility for diving.

Another object of my invention is to provide a metallic diving board which is light in weight, and which is sturdy and durable.

Additional objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the diving board mounted for use;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the board of Fig. 1 looking from left to right; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in Fig. 1 as it is mounted for use at the edge of a swimming pool. The board generally designated as is mounted on a rear standard 11 and a front standard 12. The board is attached to the rear standard by means of bolts 13 which pass through the board and through the cross bar 14 of the standard. The board rests on crosspiece 15 of the front standard and extends over the edge of the pool in a general horizontal plane or in a plane slightly tilted from the horizontal. When a diver springs on the front end 16 of the board the front standard acts as a fulcrum about which the board moves.

In Fig. 3 the board is illustrated as being rectangular in cross-section having flat upper and lower surfaces and formed as a hollow structure. The board broadly can ICC 2. be considered as constructed from two sections, a top section 20 and a bottom section 21. Each section is the duplicate of the other section and possesses a plurality of depending flanges which overlap the flanges of the adjacent section. A number of tie-rods 23 pass transversely through the overlapping flanges and cause the sections 20 and 21 to be maintained against relative movement.

The board is preferably made from aluminum or a suitable alloy of aluminum extruded or otherwise formed into the desired shape. Since a diving board must be of considerable width to perform its function, I have constructed each section of three parts in order that the manufacturing costs will be kept reasonably low. The marginal parts 25 are identical and are joined together by a central part 26 by rivets 27. Welding and other common joining means are used as preferred. By this design only two extrusions are necessary, one for themarginal parts and one for the center parts.

The marginal parts are formed with a depending side flange 28 and depending flanges 29 and 30. Additionally, strengthening ribs 32 of less width than the flanges may be provided as required to give the resultant board suitable strength and resiliency. The center part 26 is formed with at least one depending flange 34 in a T- shape and may be provided with ribs as required.

In consgtructing a board suitable lengths of marginal parts 25 are joined together with a center part 26 to form one section. A second section is formed in like manner and of the same length as the first section. Holes may be then formed transversely of the sections through the depending flanges 28, 29, 30 and 34 or the holes may be formed therethrough prior to assembly of the parts if care is taken that the holes will be properly aligned when assembled. Two sections formed in this manner are placed in a back to back relationship with the flanges overlapping and tie-rods are passed through the aligned holes in the flanges to produce the board illustrated.

The desired flexibility of the board may be readily varied by varying the thickness of the board by tapering the board towards the front end as illustrated in Fig. 1. This is done by varying the vertical position of the flange holes so that when the tie-rods are passed therethrough the top and bottom surfaces of the board are caused to gradually approach each other moving from the center standard to the front end. Any variations of taper may be produced either in a portion of the board or the entire length of the board.

A very strong and serviceable board has been made by utilizing a suitable form of fusion welding for joining the components together and omitting the tie-rods. In this construction a Weld seam is made the length of the joints not indicated in the drawings, forming a very neat looking board without external boltheads or rivet heads.

It is seen that this board is formed from parts which may be readily extruded and attached together. The board may be sold as a kit with the parts disassembled and assembled by a purchaser or the board may be factory assembled and sold as a unit. The parts may be extruded with longitudinal corrugation on the outer surface to prevent slippage by the users. Or a suitable material may be attached to the upper surface of the completed board for this purpose. This surface may comprise an abrasive material bonded to the board or a fiber mat attached at its marginal edges. By means of this invention a board is formed which is practically indestructible in use and extremely resistant to weathering.

While the form of board illustrated herein is preferred, the invention is not necessarily limited to the illustrated embodiment, and further variations and modifications, such as would occur to one skilled in the art are considered as part of the invention.

Having therefore described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A lightweight metal diving board comprising a top channel section having downwardly projecting edge flanges and at least one downwardly projecting longitudinal rib spaced from-said downwardly projecting edge flanges, a bottom section identical to said top section having upwardly projecting edge flanges and at least one upwardly projecting longitudinal rib spaced from said upwardly projecting edge flanges, said top channel .section and said bottom channel section each having a constant cross-section throughout the entire length of each of said sections, said sections positioned in back to back relationship with said flanges and rib of said top section overlapping the said flanges and rib of said bottom section a varying predetermined amount in the longitudinal direction whereby the board is provided with a predetermined taper, and attaching means at said edge flanges whereby said sections are retained against relative displacement.

2. A lightweight metal diving board having good spring-back properties comprising a top channel section formed from three members positioned together in side by side relationship to form a substantially flat upper surface, the marginal members consisting of identical channel members having spaced depending flanges, and the central member consisting of a T-section, the crosspiece of said T-section partially overlapping and attached to said marginal members to form an overlapping joint, a bottom channel section identical to said top channel section, said top channel section and said bottom channel sections each having a constant cross-section throughout the entire length of each of said sections, said sections positioned in back to back relationship with said flanges of said top channel section and the corresponding flanges of said bottom channel section and the stems of said T- sections overlapping a varying predetermined amount'in the longitudinal direction whereby the board is provided with a predetermined taper, and spaced tie rods passing through apertures in said overlapping flanges and stems whereby said board is maintained as a unitary tapered structure.

References Cited in the file. of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

